Plasmodium invasion of mosquito midguts is a mandatory step for malaria transmission. The roles of mosquito midgut proteins and parasite interaction during malaria transmission are not clear. This study aims to identify mosquito midgut proteins that interact with and affect P. falciparum invasion. Based on gene expression profiles and protein sequences, 76 mosquito secretory proteins that are highly expressed in midguts and up-regulated by blood meals were chosen for analysis. About 61 candidate genes were successfully cloned from Anopheles gambiae and expressed in insect cells. ELISA analysis showed that 25 of the insect cell-expressed recombinant mosquito proteins interacted with the P. falciparum-infected cell lysates. Indirect immunofluorescence assays confirmed 17 of them interacted with sexual stage parasites significantly stronger than asexual stage parasites. Knockdown assays found that seven candidate genes significantly changed mosquitoes' susceptibility to P. falciparum. Four of them (AGAP006268, AGAP002848, AGAP006972, and AGAP002851) played a protective function against parasite invasion, and the other three (AGAP008138, FREP1, and HPX15) facilitated P. falciparum transmission to mosquitoes. Notably, AGAP008138 is a unique gene that only exists in Anopheline mosquitoes. These gene products are ideal targets to block malaria transmission.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7459308 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71186-5 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Acceptability of intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine plus dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine in Papua New Guinea: a qualitative study.
Malar J
January 2025
Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
Background: In moderate-to-high malaria transmission regions, the World Health Organization recommends intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) alongside insecticide-treated bed nets to reduce the adverse consequences of pregnancy-associated malaria. Due to high-grade Plasmodium falciparum resistance to SP, novel treatment regimens need to be evaluated for IPTp, but these increase pill burden and treatment days. The present qualitative study assessed the acceptability of IPTp-SP plus dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) in Papua New Guinea, where IPTp-SP was implemented in 2009.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe clinical development of novel vaccines, injectable therapeutics, and oral chemoprevention drugs has the potential to deliver significant advancements in the prevention of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. These innovations could support regions in accelerating malaria control, transforming existing intervention packages by supplementing interventions with imperfect effectiveness or offering an entirely new tool. However, to layer new medical tools as part of an existing programme, malaria researchers must come to an agreement on the gaps that currently limit the effectiveness of medical interventions for moderate to low transmission settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The WHO malaria treatment guidelines recommend a total dose in the range of 3·5 to 7·0 mg/kg of primaquine to eliminate ( ) hypnozoites and prevent relapses. There are however indications that for tropical isolates, notably from Southeast Asia, the lower dose of 3·5 mg/kg is insufficient. Determining the most effective regimen to eliminate hypnozoites is needed to achieve elimination of this malaria parasite.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing artemisinin partial resistance (ArtR) due to mutations in the gene encoding Kelch13 ( ) protein in eastern Africa is of urgent concern, and mutations, such as P441L, continue to emerge. We used an amplicon deep-sequencing panel to estimate the prevalence of ArtR mutations in samples collected between 2018 and 2023 in southern Zambia. P441L was present in 30 of 501 samples (6%), and prevalence increased over time (0% to 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn epidemiological risk assessment of imported malaria cases and potential local transmission in Qatar.
Eur J Public Health
January 2025
Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department, Ministry of Public Health, Doha, Qatar.
Preventing local transmission of malaria from imported cases is crucial for achieving and maintaining malaria elimination. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria cases and assess the distribution of malaria vectors in Qatar. Data from January 2016 to December 2022 on imported malaria, including demographic and epidemiological characteristics, travel-related information, and diagnostic results, were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!